Keeper assembly for reversible belts



Aug. 24, 1954 w. H. MEEKER KEEPER ASSEMBLY FOR REVERSIBLE BELTS Filed Sept. 12, 1952 INVENTOR M/Zzm H. fileeker ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 24, 1954 KEEPER ASSEMBLY FOR REVERSIBLE BELTS William H. Meeker, Rochester, N. Y., assignor to Hickok Manufacturing Company, Inc., Rochester, N. Y., a

corporation of New York Application September 12, 1952, Serial No. 309,227

10 Claims.

The present invention relates to improvements in keeper loops for apparel belts and more particularly to a keeper assembly for providing a loop on either face of a reversible apparel belt.

Heretofore, in the prior art the formation of loops for reversible belts has presented a serious problem. One solution that has been offered is to provide a pair of leather, or the like, loops, each of which is permanently secured over one face of the belt to provide a retaining loop for each face. However, in the provision of rigid loops or keepers, it is impractical to provide a pair of individual loops, one for each face of the reversible belt as this createsundue bulkiness and is uncomfortable for wear.

It is, therefore, a primary object of the present invention to overcome the difficulty heretofore present in the art and provide an improved keeper assembly which can be made of metal, plastic or other suitable material.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an improved keeper assembly of such construction as to render practical its manufacture from metals, plastics or other material and yet which can be carried by a reversible apparel I belt so as to provide a loop adjacent either face of the belt without being bulky or uncomfortable to the wearer.

Still another object of the present invention is to provide an improved keeper assembly for reversible apparel belts that can be manipulated from a position providing a loo -over one face of the belt to an opposing position providing a loop over the opposite face of the belt with a minimum of effort.

A further object of the present invention is to provide an improved keeper assembly for reversible apparel belts which. is comprised of a minimum number of parts and which may readily be associated with such a belt and yet function equally well regardless of whichface is being exposed to view. A still further object of the present invention is to provide an improved keeper assembly carried by a reversible belt wherein one element of the keeper assembly slidably receives the other loop-forming keeper element and is substantially concealed by the belt regardless of which face of the belt is exposed in use.

Other objects are to provide an extremely simple construction which is facile of assembly and attractive in appearance.

The preferred form of my invention is best shown in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Fig. 1 is av perspective view showing the keeper assembly carried bya reversible belt having a buckle at one end, with one face, the black face, exposed;

Fig. 2 is a view similar to Fig. 1 but showing the arrangement of belt, buckle and keeper assembly for exposure of the other white face of the belt;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged view showing the relationship between the keeper assembly and the belt and the buckle;

Fig. 4 is a, perspective view of the keeper assembly showing theloop forming element in one position of adjustment;

Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the loop forming element of the keeper assembly moved to another position;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken along the line 6-5 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken along the line of Fig. 2; i

Fig. 8 is a fragmentary view showing a portion of the belt and the keeper assembly in front elevation.

Referring more particularly to the drawings wherein like numerals apply to like parts, the numeral I 0 applies generally to a buckle, the numeral I2 applies generally to the reversible belt to which the buckle I0 is attached and the numeral M applies to the improved keeper assembly of the present invention.

With regard to the buckle If] shown herein, attention is directed tomy copending case Ser. No, 308,320, filed September '8, 1952, wherein a more detailed description than that which follows is given. The buckle H9 is comprised of an attachment portion It, to. which one end of the belt l2 can be permanently-attached, and a belt holding portion 20' reversibly, pivotally or swivelly carried by theattachment portion l8 and adapted to adjustably hold the free end it of the belt l2.

Referring now to Figs. 1-3, theattachment portion is is shown to be comprised of a pair of similar side bars 22 and 24 disposed in substantially parallel relation to each other and fixedly connected together by the rear bar 26 which thereby constitutes the bight' portion of a sub stantially U-shaped attachment portion. The free ends 32 and. 34 of the side bars are recessed on their inner surfaces as: at 44 and it to provide transverse abutments or stops at 48 and 5d. The ends 32. and 34 are apertured as at 52.

The belt holding portion 20 includes a front bar 56 which has, at its ends; flanges til and 52 integrally formed therewith and extending substantially perpendicularly therefrom at its ends 64 and 66. Each of the flanges is apertured.

A pair of pins, as I6, is engaged through the juxtaposed apertures of the fianges and free ends of theside bars whereby the front bar ispivotally or swivelly carried by the belt attachment portion. It will thus be seen that the front bar can assume the relationship of Figs. 1 and 3 with like edges of the flanges abutting the stops, or it can assume the relationship of Fig. 2 with opposing like edges of the flanges abutting the stops. The front bar 55 has extending from a medial portion thereof a tongue or stud 86 which is adapted to be engaged in a selected opening or aperture Hi4 of the belt, as will be understood.

The reversible belt I2 is comprised of two layers of leather, one layer 98 being colored black and the other layer IEII! being colored white, and the two layers are secured together as by stitching N32. The apertures I04 are of elongated form similar to the head of the tongue or stud 86. As seen best in Fig. 3, the double thickness comprised of the two layers terminates at I06 and only one layer is folded about the rear bar 26.

The folded over portion I08 is secured to the two layers by the straight transverse line of stitching at I It and the arcuate line of stitching at III which follows closely adjacent the end edge of the portion I08.

As seen in Figs. 3-6, the keeper assembly I4 of the present invention is comprised of a first element or ring II2 and a second keeper element or loop-forming element II4 reciprocably or slidably carried by the first element or ring II2. The first element or ring II2 is formed of an elongated bar H8 of substantially rectangular cross-section angulated at I28, I22, I24 and I26 and with its ends I28 and I38 in axial abutting relationship so as to form a substantially rectangular elongated ring of a width slightly greater -than the width of the belt. The first keeper element can be formed of a precious metal or other metals or plastics or any other suitable desired material or combination of materials. Furthermore, the bar could be formed of stock of circular or other cross-section and the ends could be soldered or otherwise secured together.

The second loop-forming keeper element H4 is comprised of a relatively wide resilient piece or strip I32 of substantially rectangular transverse cross-section. The strip is angulated at I34, I36, I38 and I40 so as to define substantially a rectangle. However, the ends I42 and I44 terminate short of each other, thereby giving a C-shape appearance. The end portions I46 and I43 of the 'C-shaped loop-forming keeper element diverge somewhat from the angulations at I36 and I33 and are therefore biased away from each other for a purpose to be described hereinafter. The longitudinal dimension of the second keeper element is approximately equal to the length of the opening in the ring H2. The second keeper element can be formed of various materials such as above pointed out with regard to the first keeper element.

In associating the keeper assembly I4 with the belt I2, the belt is first in the condition that the two layers are stitched at I02 adjacent the upper and lower edges up to the portion where the keeper assembly is to be located at which point there is formed a transverse line of stitching at I59 joining the longitudinal stitchings N32.

The keeper assembly I4 is placed in the relationship of Figs. and 6 and the first keeper element or ring I I2 is slid between the two layers of the belt up to adjacent the transverse line of stitching I5il along with the second keeper element or loop I4, the inside longitudinal diameter of which is approximately equal to the width of the belt. The second keeper element at all times encircles the two layers of belt. It will be seen that the relative dimensions are such that the second keeper element end portions I46 and I48 can slide or be reciprocated inwardly and outwardly in the openings defined by the end portions of the ring II2 and the belt edges. The layers of belt not stitched together are then adhesively secured together up to the termination of the white layer at Hit. The extended end portion I98 of the black layer 98 can then be folded back upon itself about the bar 26 and secured against the end of layer Hit and the buckle thus secured to the belt as hereinbefore described.

Of course, the stitching employed could have substituted therefor any other suitable mode of securement such as known in the art. Similarly the adhesively secured together portion can be otherwise secured together so long as the necessary resulting conjoint relationship is the same.

In use, when the black face of the belt is to be exposed, the relationship of the keeper elements is as shown in full lines in Fig. 3, as is the buckle arrangement. When it is desired to reverse the belt to expose the white face, the loop forming keeper element II4 is merely slid through the openings provided by the ring and belt edges to an opposing end position wherein the front portion I31 is in abutment with the black, now inside, belt face whereby the opposing portions I35 and MI substantially define a loop with the white, now. outside, face. The front bar 56 of the buckle is reversibly pivoted to the dotted line position and the free end of the belt can then be adjustably fastened in the usual manner. When it is desired to revert to exposure of the black face of the belt, the reverse procedure is followed but in this position the diverging end portions I46 and I48 will be forced towards each other to a position in which they are substantially parallel, as shown in Fig. 5, and the loop more firmly resiliently held in the adjusted position. Fig. 4 shows the different relationships between the elements of the keeper assembly when in each of their two end positions.

If desired, the ends I42 and E44 of the keeper element [I4 could be extended to abutting relationship and secured or not, in that relationship. The portion I31 and the portions I3 5 and MI can be suitably ornamented or left plain or can carry ornamentation similar to or contrasting with the front bar of the buckle. Although the keeper assembly has been shown with but one form of buckle, it can be employed with either the conventional cam-clamping type buckles or with the usual tongue-type buckles, or any other buckle that can be employed with reversible belts.

While the belt described is made of leather of two colors and stitched together, it will be realized that other colors, designs, materials, and modes of securing the two layerstogether can be employed. For example, a plastic could be employed for one face and a leather for the opposite face, the two layers being bonded together in a conventional fashion.

I claim:

1. In a reversible apparel belt comprised of a pair of layers permanently joined together, a keeper assembly including an elongated ring-like element disposed between said layers adjacent tions thereof slidably engaged through said openings so as to be movable between two positions providing a retaining loop at either face of the belt for receiving the free end of the belttherein. i

2'. In a. reversible apparel belt comprised of a pair of layers permanentlyjoined together, a

keeper assembly including an elongated ring-like element disposed between said layers adjacent the buckle end of the belt and fixedly held in position, said ring-like element being of greater length than the width of the belt so as to provide a pair of openings outwardly of the side edges of said belt, and a keeper element comprised of an elongated flat piece angulated to be C-shaped and having "end portions thereof slidably engaged through said openings so as to be movable between two positions providing a retaining loop at either face of the belt for receiving the free end of the belt therein.

3. In a reversible apparel belt comprised of a pair of layers permanently joined together, a keeper assembly including an elongated ring-like element disposed between said layers adjacent the buckle end of the belt and. fixedly held in position, said ring-like element being of greater length than the width of the belt so as to provide a pair of openings outwardly of the side edges of said belt, and a. keeper element comprised of an elongated fiat piece angulated to be C-shaped and having end portions thereof slidably engaged through said openings so as to be movable between two positions providing a retaining loop at either face of the belt for receiving the free end of the belt therein, said end portions being slightly divergent and having resiliency so as to frictionally hold said keeper element relative to said ring-like element in at least one of its positions.

4. In combination with a reversible belt having companion plies mounted in face-to-face relation to each other and in spaced relation to one end of the belt being free from each other and thereby providing a passage extending transversely of the width of the belt between the plies and open at opposite ends, a keeper assembly carried by said belt and comprising an elongated ring-like keeper element extending through said passage and having closed ends projecting from ends of the pasage and constituting openings protruding from opposite side edges of the belt, and

a second keeper element constituting a loop and loosely fitting about the belt and having side portions disposed at opposite sides of the belt and connected by end portions extending across side edges of the belt andslidably passing through the openings of the first mentioned keeper element and thereby slidably mounting the second keeper element for movement in the direction of the thickness of the belt to the desired adjusted. position in which a selected side portion of the second keeper element is spaced outwardly from the confronting side of the belt to thereby provide space for the reception of the free end of the belt and maintain the said end against the main portion of the belt.

5. The structure of claim 4 wherein the second mentioned keeper element is formed of resilient material and has a continuous side bar disposed at one side of the belt and having angulated end portions forming arms extending across edges of 6. the belt and slidably passing through the operrings at ends of the first keeper element and terminating in members extending towards each other at the opposite sideof the belt from the said side bar.

6-. A reversible belt adapted to have either of its opposing faces exposed in use, and a keeper assembly including a first keeper element disposed through an opening extending transversely of the:

width of the belt and substantially centrally of the thickness of the belt and held therein, said keeper element having closed end portions projecting from opposite si'de edges of the belt and thereby providing a pair of openings disposed outwardly of the side edges ofsaidbelt, and a second keeper element comprised of an elongated flat piece angulated to be C-shaped with end portions thereof slidably engaged through the openings of the first keeper element so as to mount the second keeper element for movement in the direction of the thickness of the belt between two positions providing a retaining loop across either face of the belt for receiving the free end of the belt therein, said end portions of the second keeper element being normally slightly divergent and having resiliency so as to frictionally hold the second keeper element against movement relative to the first keeper element in at least one of its adjusted positions.

'7. A keeper assembly for a reversible belt structure comprising a belt having contrasting side faces and adapted to have either of its side faces exposed in use, said keeper assembly including a keeper element disposed through an opening extending transversely of the width of the belt and substantially centrally of the thickness of the belt and held therein and having closed end portions protruding from the belt and providing a pair of openings protruding from opposite side edges of said belt, and a second keeper element fitting loosely about the belt and having end portions extending across side edges of the belt and slidably engaged through said openings of the first mentioned keeper element so as to mount the second mentioned keeper element for movement in the direction of the thickness of the belt between two positions providing a retaining loop on either face of the belt for receiving the free end of the belt therein.

8. A keeper assembly for reversible belts comprising a belt, a keeper element of a length adapting it to be fixed to a belt transversely of the width thereof with closed end portion projecting from opposite side edges of the belt so as to provide a pair of openings disposed outwardly of the said side edges of the belt, a second keeper element fitting about the belt with end portions extending across side edges of the belt and slidably engaged through said openings and thereby mounting the second mentioned keeper element for movement in the direction of the thickness of the belt between two positions relative to the belt and the first mentioned keeper element and thereby providing a retaining loop having a side portion disposed adjacent either side face of the belt in spaced relation thereto so as to receive the free end of the belt therethrough, the first mentioned keeper element being comprised of an elongated substantially continuous ring of a length slightly greater than the width of the belt whereby its closed ends project from opposite side edges of the belt.

9. A keeper assembly for reversible belts comprising a belt, a keeper element of dimensions adapting it to be fixed to the belt with closed ends projecting from opposite side edges of the belt so as to provide a pair of openings disposed outwardly of opposite side edges of the belt, a second keeper element having end portions extending across side edges of the belt and slidably engaged through said openings and thereby mounting the second mentioned keeper element for movement in the direction of the thickness of the belt between two positions relative to said first keeper element and thereby providing a retaining loop adjacent either side face of the belt so as to receive the free end of the belt therethrough, the second keeper element being of substantially C-shape and of dimensions adapting it to fit loosely about the belt with opposite end portions extending across side edges of the belt and slidably engaged through said openings.

10. A keeper assembly for reversible belts comprising a belt, a keeper element carried by said belt with a looped end portion protruding from a side edge of the belt so as to provide at least one opening adjacent the said side edge of the belt, a second keeper element fitting loosely about said belt and having an end portion slidably engaged through said opening and being thus movable in the direction of the thicknes of the belt between two positions relative to the first keeper element and belt and thereby providing a retaining loop having a side portion disposed adjacent either face of the belt in spaced relation thereto so as to receive the free end of the belt through the said space, said second keeper element being formed of an angulated piece of fiat stock having a laterally extending end portion thereof slidably passing through the opening and frictionally engaging said first keeper element for retention in an adjusted position thereby.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNI ED STATES PATENTS c Number Name Date 603,760 Gair May 10, 1898 1,804,990 Jimopoulos May 10, 1931 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 20,098 Great Britain 1901 

